Railway appliance.



No. 65!,893. Patented June 19. I900} A. L. T. SHEFFIELD.

RAILWAY APPLIANCE.

(Application filed Apr. 1, 1899.)

(N0 Mhdel.)

IILHIII,

INVENTO .7 @4765;

WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES 7 PATENT GFFICE.

LUCIUS T. SHEFFIELD, on ,NEW YORK, N. Y.

iiAlLWAY APPLIANCE.

S'PFCTFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 651,893, dated June19, 1900.

' Application filed April 1, 1899. $erial no. 711,453. on; mm

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUoIUs T. SHEFFIELD,

. a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of New York,county and State of New York,have invented new and useful Improvementsin Railway Appliances, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description.

This invention relates to that class of devices by which the rails of arailway are socured to the ties on which they are laid; and it consistsin improvements in the clip or chair holding the rail by means of whichthe distance between opposite rails of the track, or the gage of thetrack, as it is commonly known in the art, may be readily and quicklyadjusted or altered. The methods heretofore employed of securingrailway-rails to the ties, whether by the well-known spikes or moreimproved means, have been found deficient, especially where metal tiesare utilized, both as to firmly holding the rails when laid and gagedand enabling them to be quickly readjusted when thrown out of properalinement from any cause.

The-object of my invention is to furnish a rail clip or chair, as suchrail-holding devices are commonly known, which shall enable the rails tobe quickly alined and secured to the ties when first laid and afterwardreadily moved laterally on the ties and then rigidly secured theretowhen properly gaged.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which--Figure 1 is a plan View of a section of rail and metal tie of ordinaryconstruction with my improved rail-holding devices on either side of therail; Fig. 2, a part-sectional elevation of the same; Fig. 3, asectional elevation on the line a; 00 of Fig. 2, and Fig. t is aperspective of theclip.

Similar letters refer to the same parts in each drawing.

A 1is the tie, preferably composed of pressed stee B is the rail, of thecommon T form.

C O are the clips, located on opposite sides of the rail inrelatively-reversed position.

D D are the wedge-shaped clip-holders, which pass under the pressed-upportionsa a a a of the tie A. The tie also contains the pressed-downchannels a a, Figs. 1 and 2, in

which the base or lower part c of the clip 0 rests when in position. Theclip Ois provided with a flange C on one side, which rests on the tie.The shoulder a occupies a corresponding position on the opposite side ofthe channel 0, and from thence the flange 0 pro jects over and restsupon the rail-flange b. The raised portions a a and the depressed partsa a are preferably formed integral with the tie A by pressing the sameby a process well known in the art out of the metal of which the tie iscomposed, as is plainly shown in the accompanying drawings.

When a rail is to be secured by my improved clip, it is first placed onthe tie having the several pressed-out portions before referred to insuch position that its flanges b blie between the depressed portions a aof the tie. It then having been gaged or placed exactly parallel withthe opposite rail at the other end of the tie and at the exact requireddistance therefrom, two clips 0 are placed in position on opposite sidesof the rail and between the raised portions Ct at of the tie, with theirrespective inner flanges 0 over the railfianges and the shoulders 0bearing firmly against the sides of the rail-flanges. The wedges D arethen driven in opposite directions into position under the parts a a,thus occupying the channels a 0 until the outer edge of each wedge bearsfirmly against the inner vertical of its respective elevation to, theinner edge of each wedge at the same time engaging firmly with thevertical face of its channel 0. When the wedges are driven to theirinnerlimit or binding position, it is further evident from theconstruction of the various parts that the rail will be held firmly asagainst any tendency to vertical as well as lateral motion.

An important feature of my invention consists in the facility with whichrails held by my improved clip may be gaged 0r brought into exactalinement as regards the opposite rails of the ordinary track. Byreference to the construction and arrangement of the parts it will bereadily seen that this maybe accomplished by releasing both wedges ofany pair of clips, adjusting the rail laterally, and successivelydriving home the two wedges to their binding position. This operation isa frequent one in the maintenance of way and may be more readily andquickly performed with myimproved device than with any other similardevice of which I have-knowledge.

The exact form of clip and wedge herein shown and described may ofcourse be varied materially without departingfrom the spirit of myinvention, and I do notilimit myself in this respect or as .to-theparticular substance of which said parts are constructed.

Having thus described my invention, 1

claim The combination of a railway-tie, a rail on said tie, and meansiormemovably holding said rail thereon, said means comprising acliphavingafiange engaging the rail and a depressed portion fitting in arecessed portion I 5 of the tie, and a wedge passing under raisedportions of said tie and over the depressed portion of the clip.

' In testimony whereof .I have signed my name to this specification inthe presence of 20 two subscribing witnesses.

LUOIUS T. SHEFFIELD;

-Witnesses:

v. JROLAND -L. JANES BLHAMP'IQN.

